During the bombing of Molde in 1940 there were reports of 'Lotte' women manning kitchens and providing food and blankets for the soldiers and residents. I presume these women are/were volunteers, perhaps similar to the Red Cross in some respects. Can anyone provide a better description of these volunteers? I have tried to google the name, but with little success.

"Lotte" is a Finnish name. They called the females volounteers after Lotta Sværd, a female in the Finnish national epos. During the "Winterwar" ie the war between Finnland and USSR the Finnish female volounteers were made famous. In Norway - after model of the Finnish organisation - we also had such an organization established in 1928.

My mother served as a "Lotte" from 9. April 1940 till the Norwegian army surrendered in 1940. Then they were summoned again by the "Lensmann" (The local police sergeant) to cook for Norwegian soldiers who were held at a POW-camp established in her village. Thanks to that I am born. She met my father he was a POW.